Spare the law students please!

Editor,
Since The Shillong Times is the only medium by which I can communicate to NEHU I request the Controller of Examinations, NEHU that since the examinations for the 2nd semester Law which were due to be held on July 7, 12, and 21 this year have been postponed to July 26, 27 and 28 (because the original dates clashed with major religious and cultural events) to please give at least a one day gap between the papers. The reason for this request is that some students are staying very far from Shillong and it would be a huge burden for them and even for those who are staying in Shillong to prepare themselves for the next day’s exams because by the time they reach home they are too tired to revise. I hope the Controller of Examinations would empathise with the Law students since ours is a very tough course.

Yours etc.,

MM Marwein,

Nongstoin

Much ado about uranium

Editor,

The TUR action of distributing pamphlets to the people of Bangladesh regarding uranium mining in South West Khasi Hills, at the recently concluded Nadi Festival at Sri Aurobindo Institute of Indian Culture was a laughing matter. The delegates who came to deliberate on how rivers can be turned into economic corridors besides tourism were caught by surprise by the sudden distribution of pamphlets. After all, uranium cannot be mined by local tribesmen in the state like the black diamond of Jaintia Hills as there are certain environmental norms which have to be abided by in letter and spirit. As someone had pointed out in these columns, TUR thought it a futile exercise to take on coal mining or other environmental issues like effluents being emptied into streams in the city. It seem that TUR thought it wise not to touch coal since its mining does not emanate radiation as uranium does. So the ‘Einstein(s)’ inside TUR thought that if there is no radiation let the miners go on mining the land, rivers, lakes, hills, croplands, dales, public properties, their gardens, government establishments, markets and whatever they come across in Jaintia Hills and stop not till their neighbour from Dima Hasao shouted halt. This loot in Jaintia Hills could at best be compared to the Congress loot that we the people of India witnessed during the ‘reign of terror’ by the mother – son duo of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. TUR’s muteness on coal mining could perhaps be linked to some of its members being miners, too. After all, when the major rivers turning blue and killing all aquatic life or rivers running dry are nothing compared to the harmful radiation of uranium.

The most ridiculous mining instance that one can recollect from the grand old coal mining days was when miners in search of the black diamond holed out into a state government office in Jaintia Hills. This officer who was working in his cabin suddenly saw the earth coming out of a hole in his room as someone underneath was chiselling away for coal. Now the entire Janitia Hills would have been holed out if the NGT had not heeded the petition by All Dimasa Students’ Union and Dima Hasao District Committee. So why blame the TUR? And by the way, this entity is also led by an award-wapasi film maker – the only one from Meghalaya.

Yours etc.

PK Dwivedi

Shillong – 1

Plight of commuters

Editor,

Through these columns I wish to draw your attention to the plight of passengers residing in Bishnupur/Kench’s Trace/ Laban Last Stop areas. Every morning office goers who use public transport have a tough time finding a cab. We hurry towards the taxi stand in the morning only to find that there are no taxis to take us to our respective offices. Even empty moving taxis coming towards Bishnupur from Last Stop and Lawsohtun refuse to carry passengers going towards IGP side. Then there are some taxi drivers who make a separate stand and wait for passengers to hire the whole cab. This has really affected all government employees and office goers, especially those of us working in the Meghalaya Secretariat since our attendance is monitored by Access Control System (Punching Machine). If we do not reach office on time, the machine records our attendance as late arrival. This morning my arrival to office got delayed since it took me 20 minutes just to get a taxi…that too after running and grabbing it. I therefore, request the concerned authorities such as the Transport Department, MUDA etc., to look into the matter urgently for the welfare of the passengers residing in Bishnupur area.